hey everybody, new member here. i will try to be brief but thorough as possible. Last fall i bought a 79 lowrider from a friend. I love this bike. My problem with it is that neutral is very difficult to find. I have to upshift then lightly tap the peg down to get it. works about 40% of the time. I could live with it but id rather get it right. It is a 74ci, lowered front and rear, forward controls, 4 speed bike. My friend says he had gone through everything personally or had someone look at it. Any thoughts? Hub, cable adjustment, linkage, ?? Thanks in advance for any advice . Todd

 

Welcome to the forums first off .

Could be a lot of things like sloppy linkage , adjustments , gummed up dragging clutch plates ,primary chain needs adjustment , ect . Need a bit info like hows the clutch acting ? Drag a bit when hot ? Lubed the cable lately ?

 

For some reason most people don't think the primary chain has anything to do with the clutch....so your friend might not have considered it. I find that most of the time, if the only problem is neutral is hard to find...the primary chain is too tight. The adjustment spec is 5/8 to 3/4 inch deflection at the tightest point in the chain when cold....nobody finds the tightest point in the chain...and they all shoot for 5/8...too loose is better than too tight...your mainshaft bearing will thank you.

 

the shovel clutch basket has a thing it does that was never corrected by harley, and that is when you pull the clutch lever in the clutch hub moves outward to the left, and this in turn causes the clutch discs to slightly drag and that is most times the netural issue, that cant be fixed with normal adjustments < if this is the case with yours than they make a thing called a ( ram Jet ) its plastic and it replaces the springs that do not do the job they were intended to do on some machines - what it does it stops the hub from moving and that allows the discs more room for disengagement -- hope that helps - jz

 

What should the clutch cable be lubed with?



Carl

 

The cow patty transmissions used on 79's were notorious for this problem. A ratchet lid trany is much more positive. All of the above are good suggestions to check. The linkage on these transmissions get sloppy in record time and need constant adjustment and replacement.

 

I use wheel bearing grease. Some people use chain lube or graphite.

 

A number of products out for it but I like Dry Slide Bike aid . Hit any local jap bike place they can hook you up without the harley mark up . You should do all the cables at least once a season , more if you ride in a lot of rain or wet areas .

 

I use this stuff to lube cables and works fine for me but that's just my opinion and a bit off topic from the origional question. +1 on what TwiZted said..local jap bike shop

 

thanks for the input. where can i find one of these?